From the kitchen of Phyllis (Raiche) Longtin, my mother. Tuna Noodle Casserole was a Friday night staple when I was growing up, especially during Lent when meat could not be eaten in our home.

2 cups of uncooked egg noodles

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can of milk (use the empty soup can)

1 four oz. can of Tuna

2 cups of Potato Chips (crushed)

1 cup of grated Cheddar Cheese

Margarine or Butter pats

​Cook the egg noodles as per package instructions. Drain the noodles and place into a casserole dish. Mix in soup, milk, and tuna. Layer the crushed potato chips, pats of butter and cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and forms a crunchy topping. Feeds 4 to 6 people.

Scalloped Potatoes

From the kitchen of Mary Ellen Raiche-Burton, my maternal aunt.

2 tbsp. margarine or butter

1 small onion, diced

1 can (10 1/2 oz) Campbell's Cheese & Broccoli Soup

1/3 cup milk

1/8 tsp pepper

4 medium potatoes, cooked and sliced

Melt the butter in a skillet over a medium heat and add onions until tender. Stir in soup, milk and pepper. Heat to boiling and add potatoes. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until ht and bubbly. Stir occasionally. For added flavor, add 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.

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Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

From the kitchen of Chris Copeland, my son and self proclaimed world's greatest spaghetti sauce maker. He tried many combinations before he came up with this idea. When I make this recipe, I add 1 tsp of brown sugar.

Minced onions (to taste)

1 lb ground beef

16 oz can of tomato sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 tsp Worcester Sauce

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp. parsley

Boiled spaghetti noodles (for 4 servings)

Brown the onions and beef together. Drain the meat and add all other ingredients. Simmer on medium flame for 30 minutes. Boil the spaghetti noddles as per package instructions and drain. Rinse lightly and serve with the sauce. Serves 4 people.

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FAUX Dressing

From the kitchen of several people including Grandma Leah Longtin's recipe as per my Mom; Aunt Tillie's recipe as per Aunt Mary Ellen and my version, which is a dumbed down version of the other two.

FAUX (pronounced fah-www) is the French word for "fake" or "false". This recipe was developed over centuries by French-Canadian farm families who used whatever cuts of meat were available at the time to create a meat dressing that could be served over noodles or potatoes on Sundays and holidays. It could also be used in a thicker version as a meat pie or "Tourtiere".

RECIPE #1

This first recipe is my Mom's from a recipe card in Grandma Leah's handwriting:

4 lbs of ground chuck, crumbled

1 lb of chicken gizzards, chopped

4 tsp. of salt

Pepper to taste

2 medium onions, chopped

Add these ingredients into a covered kettle with enough water to cover the ingredients. Place on high heat. Bring to a boil stirring often.

Add:

1 tsp ground sage

1 tsp. cinnamon

​1/2 tsp of allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Take 3 to 5 potatoes and peel and boil them. Once soft, mash them with small amount of milk and butter and set aside.

Cook this mixture for 60 to 90 minutes. After 60 minutes, add 3 cups or pre-made mashed potatoes. Reheat on low and serve when it thickens.

RECIPE #2

This second recipe is my Aunt Mary Ellen's whose, mother -in law was Matilda Longtin-Burton (Aunt Tillie or Mimere to some) Matilda is Grandpa Alfred Longtin's sister, so this recipe may have come down the Longtin side from their mother, Mary Leriger-Longtin of St. George, Illinois.

2 lbs ground chuck

1/2 lb of fresh pork sausage

1 handful of assorted giblets (hearts, kidneys or livers) from a turkey or chicken

Cook slowly in a kettle on the stove under low heat, breaking up the meat into pieces.

Add:

2 small chopped onions

In a separate pan, boil and mash 5 or 6 potatoes and then add to the meat in the kettle. It should make about 2 cups of mashed potatoes.

Add:

1 heaping tsp ground sage

1 tsp cinnamon 1/3 to 1/2 tsp. of ground cloves

1/3 to 1/2 tsp of allspice

Go lightly on these spices to start with, than taste and add more if needed. Stir well. If the batch seems too watery, add bread crumbs to thicken.

RECIPE #3

This third version is my own based on trying to make the recipe simpler for today's lifestyle:

In a large saucepan, saute:

2 small diced yellow onions

3 tbsp. of butter

Add:

2 lbs of hamburger meat

Brown and add enough water to cover the meat. When browned add:

6 serving of pre-made instant mashed potatoes

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tsp. ground sage

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

Cook over a medium flame for 30 minutes and add bread crumbs if too watery. Can be served over noddles or mashed potatoes as a gravy or served alone.

Fruit Dump Cake

From the kitchen of Chris Copeland

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1 can of fruit cocktail (or canned peaches)

1 stick butter

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

Grease a 9 x 9 cake pan, spread the can of fruit in the bottom of the pan (including juice), pour the melted butter over the fruit and top with the DRY cake mix. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream on top.

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Chicken and Dumplings

From the original recipe of Aunt Rosie before 1970. Eventually her recipe changed to a thinner broth with more onions and thinner noodles. This is the classic childhood recipe she made for us.

1 whole bone-in chicken (including the inside parts if possible)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. ground black pepper

2 chicken bouillon cubes

Water (enough to cover the chicken)

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the entire chicken (skin, bones and all), the salt and onions into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, covered, for an hour and a half. When the chicken is completely cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside t cool.

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. of milk

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and milk in a medium bowl. Stir until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Roll the dough onto a floured surface to about 1/4 thick. Cut the rolled out dough into 2 " strips and cut the strips into 2 " squares. Let the dumpling sit for about 15 to 20 minutes to dry out. Drop the dumplings one at a time into the gently rolling boiling stock. Stir gently occasionally.

While the dumplings are cooking, cut arprt of the cooled off chicken and remove the meat. Cut it into bite sized pieces and drop them into the stock pot. Discard the skin and bones. Cook the chicken for another 5 to 10 minutes. Do not stir vigorously or you will break the dumplings apart.

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Homemade Pie Pastry

From an Amish friend while I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana

1 cup sifted flour

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 cup water

Sift flour into a bowl, cut the shortening in with a fork into pea sized lumps. Add water a little at a time, until dough forms into a ball. Lightly knead and roll out onto a floured hard surface. DON'T OVER KNEAD! For a baked pie shell. Bake at 425* for 12 to 15 minutes.

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Raisen Pie

From the kitchen of Leah (Surprenant) Longtin, my paternal grandmother. This was a family favorite with many of the Longtin men including my Dad, Gene Longtin.

Boil these ingredients for 5 minutes: Do NOT drain the water!!!

1 pkg (2 cups) of raisins

2 cups of water

In a separate bowl, mix together:

1/2 cup of sugar

3 tbsp. of flour

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Add a small amount of the boiled raisin water to the dry mixture to make a paste.

Beat 2 eggs

Add the beaten eggs to the cooked raisins and water mixture and stir as it thickens. Pour into an 8 to 10" pie crust and cover with a top pie crust. Bake at 425* for 30 to 35 minutes. Serves 6 to 8 people.

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Jan's World

Chicken Chalupas

from the kitchen of Mary Ellen (Raiche) Burton, my maternal aunt. This is a great recipe that can be made ahead and served to large groups of people.

12 oz. Monterey Jack Cheese, grated

12 oz.Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

Two 10 1/2 oz. cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

One 4 oz. can of chopped Green Chilies

1 pint Sour Cream

Twelve 8 inch flour Tortillas

Six 1/2 breast portions of Chicken, poached, skinned and bones and cut into 1" squares

Optional:

1 cup of pitted Black Olives, sliced or chopped

1 green onion, tops only, chopped

Combine cheeses, mix and in two separate bowls and reserve half for the topping and half for the filling. Also divide the green onions into two equal portions.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 of the cheese mixture, 1/2 of the green onions, all the soup, chilies, sour cream and olives together and mix. Set aside one and a half cups of this mixture for the topping later.

Add the cooked diced chicken pieces to the remainder of the filling mix and mix well. Put 3 heaping tablespoons of the mix onto each tortilla and roll. Place the rolled tortillas seam side down in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish. Arrange tortillas in a single layer. (use two baking pans if necessary). Spread the reserved topping mixture over the layer of rolled tortillas in pan. Cover with the remaining cheeses and onions. Refrigerate overnight or can be frozen. (If frozen, defrost completely before baking).

​Preheat oven to 350* and bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Feeds 6 to 8 people.

Cook first 6 ingredients in fry pan with 1/2 cup of water. Add bread crumbs and stir. Put into an 8 to 10" pie crust and cover with a top pie crust. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve with mashed potatoes and french cut green beans. Serves 5 to 6 people.

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Salmon Patties

From the kitchen of Jan (Longtin) Vincent. This is one of my favorite things to eat and I still make these today for myself, although one can now serves me with 3 to 4 meals of Salmon.

1 can (15 oz) of Salmon

1 egg

1/2 cup of sour cream

1 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon of celery salt

1/2 teaspoon of minced onions.

Place salmon in bowl and remove the spine bones at the center of the pieces. Break up the salmon and add all ingredients. Mix well and form into patties, Placed in a lightly greased skillet on medium heat and cook on both sides until the outsides turn a golden brown. Serves 4 people (one patty each)

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Sunday Pot Roast

From the kitchen of Leah Longtin, my paternal grandmother. My grandmother also served either Pot Roast or Broasted Chicken whenever we came over on Sundays. she would make her own gravy from the dripping in the pan and NEVER measured the ingredients, but used her instinct to tell her how muchUsually followed by a peach or apricot upside down cake.

2 lb boneless chuck roast

3-4 carrots, chopped

3-4 potatoes, peeled and quartered

salt, pepper and minced onions to taste

Place roast and seasonings in a crock pot or Dutch oven on the stove (with burners on low). Cook for 3 to 4 hours. One hour before serving, place carrots and potatoes with the roast and recover with lid. Cook until carrots and potatoes are tender. Serves 6 to 8 people people.